TRIPLETS – Hip Hip Hooray!

Thirty-six year old Velene Victore Liko and her husband, Ernest Liko, are the proud parents of triplets. Mom and babies are healthy and doing fine. Baby No. 1, a boy, weighted 750 g (appx. 1 lb and 11 oz); baby No. 2, a girl, weighed 650 g (appx. 1 lb and 7 oz) and baby No. 3, a boy, weighed 850 g (appx. 1 lb and 14 oz). The first triplet was born on Friday night while the other two were born on Saturday morning. The babies have not yet been named; however, hospital staff refer to them by order of birth and by weight. This is the second time triplets have been born at St. Damien Pediatric Hospital and we are excited to share the good news with everyone.

Velene Victore came to St. Damien Pediatric Hospital on a referal from the Manitane prenatal care clinic operated by the St. Luke Foundation. She was referred to Maritane Clinic after having been to another hospital at Delmas 29 because her pregnancy was a difficult one that required the care of specialists. Being sister hospitals, St. Luke and St. Damien care for their patients in tandem which is why Manitane Clinic’s “high risk” pregnancies naturally come to St. Damien. Here at St. Damien, the care ranges from pre-natal care, to birth, through post natal care, and extends beyond until the child reaches the age of 18.

Velene and her healthy triplets

When Velene Victore arrived at St. Damien on Friday, May 4 at approximately 10:00 p.m., she was already in labor at which time she delivered the first baby by natural childbirth. However, she was experiencing complications pushing the second baby through the birth canal. The baby’s head crowned but was stuck and its heart rate began to decrease. Doctors immediately rushed her to the operating room for an emergency Caesarean Section “C Section” to remove the baby. At that point, it was revealed that there was a third baby ready to be born. Surprise! Surprise!

Velene Victor shares the story of having had sonograms done prenatally that the tests did not show triplets, and she was prepared only for twins. Since she had to undergo anesthesia she was asleep during the birth of the second and third child. Much to her delightful surprise, after surgery she received the news that instead of going home with twins, she was now going home with triplets. Although this mom is overjoyed, she says that she is very worried for her babies because she has given birth to twins before. That was her first pregnancy 10 years ago, and sadly, one of the twins did not survive. Velene Victore shared her problem with many fibroids in her uterus which complicated her pregnancies, the births and also caused bleeding during labor. She fully admits that this time she is “in very good hands here” because St. Damien Hospital’s maternity ward accepts “very high risk pregnancies,” which it is fully and expertly prepared to handle.

Velene holding one of her three new babies

With the babies’ low birth weights, she has no idea when she will be released from the hospital, but for now she feels comfortable and completely satisfied and happy with the care that she is receiving. This kind of care would have cost her a great deal of money which she and her husband could not afford. She is currently unemployed and unable to work. Her husband, a day worker who is willing and eager to work whenever he is able to find a job, does not make enough money to pay for his wife’s prenatal care nor her hospital stay. In her words, she “has not been asked for any money.” The only cost to them has been the cost of the sonograms. Their BLESSINGS ARE MANY including the safe birth of their triplets, the children’s health, and the excellent free care she has received at St Luke Manitane Clinic and St. Damien Pediatric Hospital.

News from St. Damien

St. Damien Hospital is the premier pediatric hospital in Haiti and provides all services on a sliding scale. It is funded through donations from benefactors all over the world, primarily in Europe and the United States.